GPS for communications facility records

ABSTRACT

Methods and systems are disclosed for enhancing communications line records with Global Positioning System coordinates. One embodiment acquires Global Positioning System information and provides the Global Positioning System information to assemble a line record.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation application of the commonly-assignedU.S. application Ser. No. 10/830,886, filed Apr. 23, 2004 and now issuedas U.S. Pat. No. ______, which is itself a continuation of thecommonly-assigned U.S. application Ser. No. 10/174,856, filed Jun. 19,2002 and now issued as U.S. Pat. No. ______, with each incorporatedherein by reference.

NOTICE OF COPYRIGHT PROTECTION

A portion of the disclosure of this patent document and its figurescontain material subject to copyright protection. The copyright ownerhas no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patentdocument or the patent disclosure, but the copyright owner otherwisereserves all copyrights whatsoever.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention generally relates to computers and to telecommunicationsand, more particularly, to methods and systems for creating a telephoneline record including Global Positioning System (GPS) information.

2. Description of the Related Art

Most residential and business telephone customers are connected to atelecommunications network by cables and wires. The cables and wiresinclude the familiar one or more telephone lines installed throughoutnearly every home in the United States. Because cables and wires connectmost homes and many businesses to the telecommunications network, thePublic Switched Telephone Network includes billions of cables and wires.Each of these cables and wires must be maintained to provide superiorcommunications service to the customer.

An accurate telephone line record is desirable when maintaining thesecables and wires. A telephone “line record” describes a customer'stelephone service, the condition of the telephone system physicalfacilities serving the customer, and the telephone equipment installedat the customer's residence or business. When a customer calls to reporta problem, accurate telephone line records help identify the problem andhelp speed resolution.

A telephone line record, however, may have an incorrect, or anincomplete, address location. If the telephone line record is incorrect,then a technician struggles to locate the customer and the facilitiesserving that customer. When the address is incorrect, time and effort iswasted trying to find the correct service address and the facilities. Ifthe technician had a precise address, the technician could respondquicker and resolve the customer's concern.

There is, accordingly, a need for accurate telephone line records, aneed for methods and systems that provide a more precise location of acustomer's service address, a need for methods and systems that providea more precise location of the telephone plant facilities serving thecustomer, and a need for methods and systems that quickly and easilycorrect telephone line records.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The aforementioned problems are reduced by a Line Record AssemblerModule. The Line Record Assembler Module comprises computer programs andcomputer systems that utilize Global Positioning System information toimprove telephone line records. When a customer reports a problem withtheir telecommunications service, this invention uses Global PositioningSystem information to accurately locate the customer's service address.This invention also uses the Global Positioning System information toaccurately locate the telecommunications facilities serving thatcustomer. Because the service address and the facilities are locatedusing Global Positioning System coordinates, a technician quickly andprecisely locates the customer and the facilities without usingancillary systems that require line record inputs to derive thewaypoint. When the technician quickly locates the customer and thefacilities, this invention allows for faster repairs of thetelecommunications network. A fast repair also improves the customer'ssatisfaction with their telecommunications service provider.

One embodiment of this invention describes a method for enhancingtelephone line records with Global Positioning System information. ALine Record Assembler module communicates with a network, gathersvarious types of information, and assembles this information into a linerecord. A “line record” describes a customer's telephone service(s), thephysical facilities serving the customer, and the service address of thecustomer. The line record, for example, may include at least one of thefollowing types of information: a listed name for the customer, aservice address, a location for the customer, working conditions at theservice address, a class of service, listing information, port statusinformation, and location route number. The line record could alsoinclude a cable and a line pair serving the customer, F1 and F2 linesserving the customer, a cross-connect box serving the customer, aterminal serving the customer, and even one or more utility polesserving the customer. The line record could also include a universalservice order code, a terminal address, and a remote terminal servingthe customer. The Line Record Assembler module communicates with anetwork and acquires at least one of the following: customer serviceinformation associated with a telephone number, facility informationassociated with the telephone number, telephone equipment informationassociated with the telephone number, and Global Positioning Systeminformation associated with the telephone number. The Line RecordAssembler module combines the customer service information, the facilityinformation, the telephone equipment information, and the GlobalPositioning System information into a line record for the telephonenumber. The Global Positioning System information may include alatitude, a longitude, and/or an elevation that helps locate thecustomer and the telecommunications facilities serving the customer.

Another embodiment describes an alternative method for enhancingtelephone line records with Global Positioning System information. Awork order is dispatched, with the work order describing a reportedproblem with a telecommunications network. The work order is associatedwith a telephone number and comprises Global Positioning Systeminformation retrieved from a database. The Global Positioning Systeminformation is used for locating at least one of i) a service addressassociated with the telephone number and ii) a telephone plant facilityassociated with the telephone number. Updated Global Positioning Systeminformation is received, with the updated Global Positioning Systeminformation describing the actual location of the service address and/orthe telephone plant facility associated with the telephone number. Theupdated Global Positioning System information is then stored in thedatabase for future uses.

Still another embodiment describes a computer system for enhancingtelephone line records. The system has a Line Record Assembler modulestored in memory. The Line Record Assembler module acquires GlobalPositioning System information associated with a telephone number. TheLine Record Assembler module uses the Global Positioning Systeminformation to create a telephone line record for the telephone number.A processor communicates with the memory and executes executableinstructions.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other features, aspects, and advantages of this invention arebetter understood when the following Detailed Description of theInvention is read with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIGS. 1 and 2 are block diagrams illustrating one embodiment of a LineRecord Assembler Module according to this invention;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating another embodiment of the LineRecord Assembler Module according to this invention; and

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing one method of assembling a telephone linerecord according to this invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIGS. 1 and 2 are block diagrams illustrating one embodiment of a LineRecord Assembler Module 20. The Line Record Assembler module 20 is acomputer program that acquires information from a network 22 and usesthis information to construct a line record. A user at a user computer24 issues a request 26 for a line record. The request 26 for the linerecord is communicated over the network 22 to the Line Record AssemblerModule 20 using TCP/IP protocol or any other computer communicationsprotocol. The Line Record Assembler Module 20 operates within memory 28of a computer system 30. The computer system 30 is shown as a server 32.The request 26 for the line record also contains informationrepresenting a telephone number 34 for which the line record is sought.The Line Record Assembler Module 20 receives the request 26 for the linerecord and then requests information to assemble the line record.

The Line Record Assembler Module 20 retrieves Global Positioning Systeminformation. The Line Record Assembler Module 20 issues a request 36 forthe Global Positioning System (GPS) information. This request 36 for theGlobal Positioning System information includes the customer's telephonenumber 34 and is communicated over the network 22. The request 36 forthe Global Positioning System information, the service address, and thetelephone number 34, is received by a Global Positioning System (GPS)database 38. The Global Positioning System database 38 stores GlobalPositioning System information associated with the telephone number 34.The Global Positioning System database 38 retrieves Global PositioningSystem (GPS) information 40 associated with the telephone number 34. TheGlobal Positioning System information 40 is then communicated over thenetwork 22 to the Line Record Assembler Module 20. The Line RecordAssembler Module 20 acquires the Global Positioning System information40 and then uses the Global Positioning System information 40 toconstruct a telephone line record.

FIG. 2 shows a telephone line record 42. After the Line Record AssemblerModule 20 acquires the Global Positioning System information 40, thetelephone line record 42 is assembled. The Line Record Assembler Module20 uses the Global Positioning System information 40, and other acquiredinformation, to construct the telephone line record 42. The telephoneline record 42 is then communicated over the network 22 to the user atthe user computer 24. Because the telephone line record 42 contains theGlobal Positioning System information 40, the user, whether atechnician, customer representative, or other person, may quickly andprecisely locate the customer's address and associated facilities.

The Global Positioning System information 40 is preferably latitude,longitude, and elevation. The latitude, the longitude, and the elevation(or height) would help technicians precisely locate the service addressand the facilities associated with the telephone number. If, forexample, the customer's service address is on the twentieth (20^(th))floor of a high-rise apartment building, the latitude, the longitude,and the elevation allows the technician to quickly and precisely locatethe customer and the facilities serving that customer. The GlobalPositioning System information 40, therefore, could describe thelocation of the customer's service address, a terminal serving thecustomer, a cross-connect box serving the customer, and/or a centraloffice serving the customer. The Global Positioning System information40 could also describe a wire center and a turf associated with thetelephone number 34. The Global Positioning System information 40 couldalso describe one or more allocation areas within the turf, and the oneor more allocation areas would also be associated with the telephonenumber 34. The Global Positioning System information 40 couldalternatively be expressed in any x, y, and z coordinate value (such asfeet, meters, miles, or kilometers). The Global Positioning Systeminformation 40 could also be expressed as position, velocity, and timecoordinates, however, latitude, longitude, and elevation are morereadily understood. Because the principals of satellite-based navigationare well understood, the Global Positioning System will not be furtherdiscussed. If the reader desires a more detailed explanation of theGlobal Positioning System, the National Aeronautical and SpaceAdministration offers several tutorials and background papers. Seehttp://leonardo.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/Programs/gps.html.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating another embodiment of the LineRecord Assembler Module 20. FIG. 3 shows the Line Record Assemblermodule 20 acquiring additional information when assembling the telephoneline record 42. The Line Record Assembler module 20, for example, mayacquire, via the network 22, customer service information 44, telephoneequipment information 46, and facility information 48. The customerservice information 44 is stored in a Customer Records InformationSystem (CRIS) database 50, and the customer service information 44describes many aspects of the customer and the customer's telephoneservice. The telephone equipment information 46 is stored in a switchsystem database 52, and the switch system database 52 inventoriestelephone equipment and telephone numbers. One such switch systemdatabase 52 is the TELCORDIA™ SWITCH™ system (TELCORDIA™ and SWITCH™ aretrademarks of Telcordia Technologies, Inc., 445 South St., MorristownN.J. 07960, www.telcordia.com). The facility information 48 is stored ina Loop Facility Assignment Control System (LFACS) database 54, and thefacility information 48 describes many aspects of the telephone systemphysical plant associated with the customer's telephone number. Thecustomer service information 44, the telephone equipment information 46,and the facility information 48, however, are more fully described inthe related and commonly-assigned U.S. application Ser. No. 09/946,405,entitled “METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR ASSEMBLING TELEPHONE LINE RECORDS,”filed Sep. 4, 2001, and of which the “Brief Summary of the Invention”and the “Detailed Description of the Invention” sections areincorporated herein by reference.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing one method of assembling a telephone linerecord. This method acquires Global Positioning System informationassociated with a telephone number (Block 58). The Global PositioningSystem information could include latitude, longitude, and elevation(Block 60) for a service address, for a cross-connect box, for a serviceterminal, for a remote terminal, for a hand hole, for a wire center, andfor a central office associated with the telephone number. The GlobalPositioning System information could also include alternative x, y, andz coordinates (Block 62) for the service address, for the cross-connectbox, for the service terminal, for the wire center, and/or for thecentral office associated with the telephone number. These alternativex, y, and z coordinates could be expressed in U.S. Customary and BritishImperial units, such as feet and miles, or in metric units, such asmeters and kilometers. The Global Positioning System information couldalso be expressed as position, velocity, and time measurements (Block64) for the service address, for the cross-connect box, for the serviceterminal, for the wire center, and/or for the central office associatedwith the telephone number. This method could also acquire customerservice information, the facility information, and the telephoneequipment information (Block 66). The Global Positioning Systeminformation, the customer service information, the facility information,and the telephone equipment information are assembled into the telephoneline record (Block 68) for the telephone number.

If the telecommunications network requires repair, a work order isgenerated (Block 70). The work order includes the Global PositioningSystem information from the telephone line record. The work order isdispatched (Block 72) to technician for the repair. When the technicianarrives at the location specified by the Global Positioning Systeminformation, the technician may then verify (Block 74) the accuracy ofthe Global Positioning System information. The technician uses a GlobalPositioning System unit to determine the actual location of thecustomer's service address, the cross-connect box, or any othertelephone plant facility. The Global Positioning System unit could be ahandheld unit, a mobile unit installed within the technician's repairvehicle, or any other apparatus capable of determining GlobalPositioning System information. Once the actual location of thecustomer's service address, or of the telephone plant facility, isdetermined, that actual location is termed updated Global PositioningSystem information. This updated Global Positioning System informationis then communicated back to the telecommunications service provider(Block 76). The telecommunications service provider receives the updatedGlobal Positioning System information and, if necessary, corrects thetelephone line record and stores the updated Global Positioning Systeminformation (Block 78).

The actual, updated Global Positioning System information is preferablywirelessly communicated to the telecommunications service provider.After the technician uses the Global Positioning System unit todetermine the actual location of the customer's service address, or theactual location of the telephone plant facility, the techniciancommunicates the actual location to the telecommunications serviceprovider. The technician, for example, could strike a “hot” key on theGlobal Positioning System unit and cause the updated Global PositioningSystem information to be wirelessly transmitted. The technician,alternatively, could use a computing device to determine the differencebetween the Global Positioning System information from the telephoneline record and the technician's actual, updated Global PositioningSystem information. The technician's computing device, for example,could be a calculator, a laptop computer, or a wireless communicationdevice. If the difference exceeds some threshold value, then the actual,updated Global Positioning System information would be wirelesslycommunicated to the telecommunications service provider. When theactual, updated Global Positioning System information exceeds thethreshold value, the technician's laptop computer, for example, would beprogrammed to automatically wirelessly transmit the actual, updatedGlobal Positioning System information. The telecommunications serviceprovider receives the updated Global Positioning System information andcorrects the telephone line record (Block 78) to reflect the actuallocation. The technician, of course, could use a landline telephone or awireless telephone to establish a call with the telecommunicationsservice provider and to audibly provide the actual, updated GlobalPositioning System information. A phone call, however, would be slowerand would introduce opportunities for operator error and forcommunication errors.

The Line Record Assembler Module (shown as reference numeral 20 in FIGS.1-3), including the methods of the present invention, may be physicallyembodied on or in a computer-readable medium. This computer-readablemedium may include CD-ROM, DVD, tape, cassette, floppy disk, memorycard, and large-capacity disk (such as IOMEGA®, ZIP®, JAZZ®, and otherlarge-capacity memory products (IOMEGA®, ZIP®, and JAZZ® are registeredtrademarks of Iomega Corporation, 1821 W. Iomega Way, Roy, Utah 84067,801.332.1000, www.iomega.com). This computer-readable medium, or media,could be distributed to end-users, licensees, and assignees. These typesof computer-readable media, and other types not mention here butconsidered within the scope of the this invention, allow the Line RecordAssembler Module to be easily disseminated. A computer program product,for assembling a telephone line record including Global PositioningSystem information, comprises the computer-readable medium and the LineRecord Assembler Module. The Line Record Assembler Module is stored onthe computer-readable medium.

While the present invention has been described with respect to variousfeatures, aspects, and embodiments, those skilled and unskilled in theart will recognize the invention is not so limited. Other variations,modifications, and alternative embodiments may be made without departingfrom the spirit and scope of the present invention.

1. A method, comprising: acquiring Global Positioning Systeminformation; and providing the Global Positioning System information toassemble a line record.
 2. A method according to claim 1, wherein thestep of acquiring the Global Positioning System information comprisesacquiring a latitude and a longitude associated with a communicationsfacility.
 3. A method according to claim 1, wherein the step ofacquiring the Global Positioning System information comprises acquiringa latitude and a longitude associated with a telephone number.
 4. Amethod according to claim 1, wherein the step of acquiring the GlobalPositioning System information comprises acquiring a latitude and alongitude for a service address.
 5. A method according to claim 1,wherein the step of providing the Global Positioning System informationcomprises providing a database of Global Positioning System information.6. A method according to claim 1, wherein the step of providing theGlobal Positioning System information comprises providing a computerprogram product storing the Global Positioning System information.
 7. Amethod according to claim 1, wherein the step of acquiring the GlobalPositioning System information comprises acquiring a latitude and alongitude for a cross-connect box.
 8. A method according to claim 1,wherein the step of acquiring the Global Positioning System informationcomprises acquiring a latitude and a longitude for a service terminal.9. A method according to claim 1, wherein the step of acquiring theGlobal Positioning System information comprises acquiring a latitude anda longitude for a central office.
 10. A method according to claim 1,wherein the step of acquiring the Global Positioning System informationcomprises acquiring a latitude and a longitude for a wire center.
 11. Amethod according to claim 1, further comprising the step of receivingupdated Global Positioning System information.
 12. A method according toclaim 1, further comprising the step of using updated Global PositioningSystem information to correct the line record.
 13. A method according toclaim 1, further comprising the step of receiving updated GlobalPositioning System information from a Global Positioning System unitinstalled in a vehicle.
 14. A method according to claim 1, wherein thestep of acquiring the Global Positioning System information comprisesacquiring an elevation measurement.
 15. A method according to claim 1,further comprising the step of acquiring customer service information.16. A method according to claim 1, further comprising the step ofacquiring facility information.
 17. A method according to claim 1,further comprising the step of acquiring equipment information.
 18. Amethod, comprising: dispatching a work order for a communicationsnetwork, the work order comprising Global Positioning System informationfor a line record; and receiving updated Global Positioning Systeminformation describing an actual location of at least one of i) aservice address and ii) a facility.
 19. A computer program productcomprising computer-readable instructions for performing the steps:acquiring Global Positioning System information; and providing theGlobal Positioning System information to assemble a line record.